1 . Leo Walsh participated in the design of the minivan, a kind of vehicle, which revolutionized the way families traveled 40 years ago to generations of Americans.

After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in engineering in 1956. Walsh was hired by Chrysler in Detroit. “That was the best decision I ever made, because if I’d gone to GM, I could have been lost in a big hurry,” Walsh said. The engineer proved his ability while making $485 a month. “I was the youngest chief engineer at Chrysler at that time,” Walsh recalled.

Walsh was approached by the manager in 1976 to design a vehicle unlike any other. Walsh’s team didn’t waste time. “We designed a prototype (原型) by cutting down the big vans,” Walsh explained. But the plans Walsh led would sit on a shelf collecting dust. “We kept proving that it was workable through the prototypes,” Walsh said. Then eight years later, Chrysler’s new CEO Lee Iacocca greenlighted the project. “He thought it was a product that needed to be on the market,” Walsh said. “It was decided to produce it in 1984.” With its extra cargo (货物) space and roominess for passengers, the Chrysler minivan was an instant hit. “It became the cash cow of Chrysler Corporation,” Walsh said.

After 32 years in Chrysler, Walsh retired in 1988 just four years after the first minivan was produced. “The world’s best minivans and that is true,” Walsh said. “It was a landmark vehicle.” 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the minivan, proving good ideas get good gas mileage. The 93-year-old doesn’t take credit for the minivan. To this day Walsh sings high praise for his talented team.

Admirably, the retired engineer helped introduce a new way of driving. “I enjoyed every minute of those jobs. That is all I have got to say,” Walsh said. “I enjoyed every minute of my career. I am very fortunate to be there at the beginning.”

1. What can we infer about Walsh from paragraph 2?

A．He once had the idea of working for GM.	B．He wasn’t valued in the company initially.
C．He joined Chrysler to design the minivan.	D．He learnt engineering because he was poor.

2. What was the attitude of the CEOs before Lee Iacocca to Walsh’s prototype?

A．Unclear.

B．Approving.

C．Tolerant.

D．Dismissive.

3. Which best describes Walsh as a team leader?

A．Strict.

B．Modest.

C．Ambitious.

D．Humorous.

4. What can we learn from Walsh’s story?

A．A winner is one with a great effort of will.	B．Gaining success helps you become an expert.
C．Your success comes from loving what you do.	D．Success means getting personal desires satisfied.

2 . Coastal communities around the world are using coir, material from coconuts (a kind of large fruit), to reduce shoreline erosion (侵蚀). People use coir to build barriers, protecting beaches from getting washed away by the force of waves. The material is common and costs a lot less than barriers made of other materials, like wood, steel or concrete.

One project is being built along part of an eroded riverbank in Neptune, New Jersey. The effort has already greatly improved areas that were badly damaged by erosion during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. “We’re always trying to reduce wave energy while protecting the shoreline,” said Tim Dillingham, the director of the group who runs the project. “And whenever we can, we like to use nature-based solutions.”

The coconut-based material is designed to break down over time. But before it does, it is sometimes pre-seeded with shoreline plants and grasses. The coir material holds the plants in place as they grow, finally breaking down and leaving the established plants in place to keep the shoreline from eroding.

In Boston, Julia Hopkins from Northeastern University is also using coir, wood chips and other material to create barriers to slow the force of waves. A test project has four coconut-based barriers in waterways around Boston. Hopkins is pleased with the results she has seen so far. She said the coconut material is not costly and is actually being recycled rather than thrown away.

The method does not always work, however. In 2016, the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary (a wildlife protection area) in Edgartown, Massachusetts, built barriers around a salt marsh, an area of coastal grassland, that had eroded in the past. While the effort did help reduce erosion for a while, the material did not last long because of strong waves.

“It got blown out many times,” said Suzan Bellincampi, the sanctuary’s director.“ We had it in place for a few years and we decided not to fix it again. The project was really interesting in terms of what we wanted to do and how we changed it. It works in some places; it doesn’t work in all places.”

1. What are communities near the coast doing?

A．They are making use of wave energy.

B．They are building barriers to prepare for storms.

C．They are fighting to stop shoreline erosion.

D．They are developing new materials from coconuts.

2. What might the underlined word “established” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Well developed.

B．Ready to plant.

C．Newly planted.

D．Hard to find.

3. What is Hopkins’ attitude towards coconut-based barriers?

A．Carefree.

B．Favorable.

C．Unclear.

D．Doubtful.

4. Why is the project in a sanctuary mentioned in the last but one paragraph?

A．To encourage more places to follow the method.

B．To stress the importance of using the method to protect nature.

C．To show that the method is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

D．To explain how to change the method according to local conditions.

3 . When I have a sad look on my face and my mind isn’t where it should be, my wife says, “You need to go home!” So, I get my plane ticket, pack my suitcase and _______ Sierra Leone, the country I escaped from in 1999 when a war over diamonds destroyed our _______. The civil war lasted 11 years and ruined many schools, leaving children without an education or a future. It only seems _______ that I try to help the people in my home country, especially the children.

In 2009, 10 years after I ran away, I believed it was time to rebuild and _______ the life we had before the war. With most of the schools ruined, it was a _______ task. The first one was the school in Mbureh village. With the help of several charities, the organization I work with raised enough money. The school was rebuilt and the children _______ me with smiles.

I consider that payment in full. And it _______ me to do more. With each brick cemented (用水泥粘结) into place and each nail hammered, I thought about the kids who were now going to have a _______. Workers and volunteers _______ day and night, rebuilding one school after another.

After I returned to Canada, my wife could see the ________ in me. But something in my life here would always take my ________ back to the problems of my country. Sometimes it was wandering in the grocery store. All that food reminded me of the empty stomachs of the children overseas. Or sometimes it was the ________ I heard around me: The weather wasn’t just right or a flight had been postponed.

“Go home,” my wife always said ________. So, I’d return once again to build more schools, create more futures and see more ________ children. I’ve met many people who have the same heart as me and want to see the smiles of more children in Sierra Leone.

We all know how much a smile can ________ us: It is payment in full.

1.

A．head back to

B．run across to

C．move on to

D．live up to

2.

A．project

B．expectation

C．belief

D．land

3.

A．demanding

B．hopeless

C．right

D．impossible

4.

A．recall

B．reconsider

C．reclaim

D．rewrite

5.

A．responsible

B．challenging

C．sorrowful

D．suffering

6.

A．greeted

B．praised

C．encouraged

D．paid

7.

A．reminded

B．pushed

C．requested

D．convinced

8.

A．future

B．choice

C．goal

D．family

9.

A．designed

B．thought

C．labored

D．created

10.

A．value

B．transformation

C．disappointment

D．satisfaction

11.

A．mind

B．solution

C．stress

D．chance

12.

A．worry

B．comment

C．argument

D．complaint

13.

A．quietly

B．firmly

C．angrily

D．patiently

14.

A．helpful

B．hardworking

C．happy

D．confident

15.

A．enrich

B．persuade

C．improve

D．sustain

4 . On Nov 7, 52-year-old French author Jean-Baptiste Andrea secured the famed Goncourt Prize for his novel Watch Over Her. With a history of 120 years, the Goncourt Prize stands as one of the most important literary awards in France.

Described as “extremely refreshing”, the book offers readers a break from a sad new cycle, according to Didier Lecoin, the jury (评委会) president of the Goncourt Prize. Philippe Claudel, another member, said it was “high-quality popular literature”. “And that is what the Goncourt is about,” he added.

Watch Over Her develops as a love story between a young poor sculptor and a local noble young woman in 20th -century Italy, during the rise of fascism (法西斯主义). The account skillfully combines their story of love with explorations of Italian history and political structures.

Andrea mentioned that he crafted the story of Watch Over Her because he desired to reconnect with Italy, “the country of my ancestors”, and because he firmly believed in the power of popular fiction.

Andrea, a former screenwriter and director who turned to novel writing in his 40s, expressed that writing novels allowed him to rediscover the joy of writing lost in filmmaking. For him , writing is a means of taking control of his life, representing a return to his childhood passion for storytelling.

While some critics suggested that Watch Over Her might challenge the traditionally elite (精英) image of the Goncourt Prize, Andrea thought differently in an interview with France Inter, stating, “I feel that today we’ve left the privilege of telling stories to cinema... as if telling a story excluded depth. But I think we can be popular and at the same time deep, and give different levels of reading to different types of readers and generations.”

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To lead into the topic of the passage.

B．To introduce a new literary award.

C．To present one of the major views of the society.

D．To draw readers’ attention to writing.

2. What do people think of Watch Over Her?

A．It is highly thought of by all.	B．It offers an escape from sorrow.
C．It elevates high-quality literature.	D．It provides access to science fiction.

3. Why did Andrea return to novel writing?

A．He is interested in exploring storytelling methods.

B．He hopes to find a sense of inner peace.

C．He needs to seek further inspiration for filmmaking.

D．He wants to fulfill his childhood dream.

4. What do we know about Watch Over Her?

A．It is a short story set in 19th-century Italy.

B．It is a historical exploration of French politics.

C．It represents Andrea’s way of revisiting his roots.

D．It involves a young sculptor and a poor woman.

5 . Travel inspires adventure, team spirit and growth in children, as I discovered when I took my daughter Mai with me around the world.

When she was four, we had a parent-child _________ through the Fraser River in Canada. I was a travel writer and my job covered from describing the scenery I traveled along to _________ the people I met. So while I was taking pictures, Maia, wanting to prove her _________ as an assistant, began interviewing a couple in the same ship. Unable to spell words, she _________ their answers in crayon. Then when we sat together at lunch, my daughter _________ the kids’ meal and requested the salmon (三文鱼). She explained that kids’ meals might not always be _________ during travel, so her food _________ was “try everything.” That trip proved Maia as such an easy travel _________ .

When she was six, we flew to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. I was impressed by how _________ fearless she was when we dived along a reef(礁石). And I was __________ by how she cleverly worked out that she could order chocolate cake from room __________ alone. But it was on the __________ home, when my glued-to-my-arm kid said it was okay that the airline didn’t __________ us together, that I realized how much travel was __________ her. It helped her become more __________ .

As Mai a grew older, travel continued to __________ her life. We explored the Amazon rainforest, where she learned the importance of __________ our planet. We visited famous __________ in China , where she developed a deep appreciation in its rich cultures and long history. And we __________ at an orphanage (孤儿院) in Africa, where she learned the meaning of love and care.

Travel has also helped Maia develop important life __________ such as independence, problem-solving, and communication. I am grateful for what travel has had on my daughter, and I am excited to see what the future holds for her.

1.

A．course

B．talk

C．journey

D．quarrel

2.

A．helping

B．teaching

C．organizing

D．interviewing

3.

A．worth

B．belief

C．discovery

D．demand

4.

A．spelled

B．reported

C．found

D．drew

5.

A．picked up

B．turned down

C．searched for

D．complained about

6.

A．affordable

B．delicate

C．available

D．delicious

7.

A．chain

B．motto

C．preference

D．supply

8.

A．agent

B．client

C．assistant

D．partner

9.

A．cheerfully

B．foolishly

C．smartly

D．unpleasantly

10.

A．persuaded

B．puzzled

C．criticized

D．offended

11.

A．cleaning

B．service

C．rent

D．design

12.

A．train

B．ship

C．flight

D．bus

13.

A．invite

B．see

C．link

D．seat

14.

A．shaping

B．comforting

C．hurting

D．ruining

15.

A．intelligent

B．adaptable

C．respectful

D．changeable

16.

A．rule

B．disturb

C．enrich

D．save

17.

A．protecting

B．controlling

C．destroying

D．creating

18.

A．sites

B．people

C．parks

D．shops

19.

A．survived

B．played

C．volunteered

D．spoke

20.

A．styles

B．values

C．attitudes

D．skills

6 . Heights Library (HL) is here to help by connecting you to companies, organizations, and other media that offer access to free, quality content.

Art for Kids Hub

It provides hundreds of videos that teach kids (and their adults) how to draw, fold, paint, and sculpt to their heart’s content. Learn how to draw your favorite Disney or Fortnite characters, fold a shirt card for Father’s Day. Projects require only a few art supplies.

For: Grades PreK-8

Where: Visit their website

Babbel

It’s a popular language learning app. Babbel courses are designed by language experts and are available in 13 different languages. Short lessons with interactive dialogue, practical phrases and vocabulary allow students to put themselves deeply in a new language.

For: K-College students

Where: Register an account at Babbel and access on mobile or desktop devices

BrainPOP

It’s an educational website that creates digital content for K-8 students. Lessons begin with a short, animated video and are accompanied by interactive quizzes, extension activities, and games. Videos feature a relatable and engaging cast, including a beloved orange robot named Moby. There’re Spanish and French versions, as well as an option for English language learners.

For: Grades K-8

Where: BrainPOP is offering free access to families

Ten to Explore

The Metroparks make it easy to get out of the house with the fun challenge Ten to Explore presented by Wayside Furniture. Each month ten parks or activities are highlighted to encourage people to choose outside exploration. Tag any photos on social media with #Ten to Explore# for a chance to win a special prize pack.

For: All ages

Where: Check their website for updates on reservation

1. What is Fortnite most likely?

A．A gift for Father’s Day.	B．A modern sculpture.
C．A project by a website.	D．A popular game.

2. Which will you choose if you want to experience nature in person?

A．Art for Kids Hub.

B．Babbel.

C．Ten to Explore.

D．BrainPOP.

3. What do the resources have in common?

A．They are digital.	B．They are designed by HL.
C．They are free only for kids.	D．They are favored by language learners.

7 . 33 years ago, Thomas retired from his job, but he simply couldn’t sit at home doing nothing. His wife Elizabeth, who was an elementary school teacher in their hometown, suggested that he should ________ a job as a crossing guard. He though it sounded like a good way to keep busy. Over three decades later, he is ________out there every day!

Thomas began his ________ as a driver overseas and then he returned home and worked for the post office until he ________. He and Elizabeth have been married for 51 years, and she said she was ________ to still have her ________ husband around. “He decided he needed something else to do, so we made it ________ for him,” said Elizabeth.

He ________ for work at 5:00 am every weekday. He is a ________ face for two generations of the students and their families. When he turned 100 years old, the entire people of the ________ came together to celebrate his birthday. “Not many of us can even think about turning 100 and still wanting to get up every morning to go to work with a ________on our face,” teacher Verhonda Evens said. “We appreciate you ________ .”

Even at his age, Thomas ________ takes a day off, even for vacations! His son said he did it all for the ________. “He has more things to do than we have to do,” he explained. “Even when it comes down to vacations, he wants to hurry up and come back so he can do the crossing guard. He doesn’t want to ________ his work. It keeps him busy.”

1.

A．recommend

B．take

C．analyze

D．provide

2.

A．also

B．never

C．seldom

D．still

3.

A．profession

B．presentation

C．performance

D．pattern

4.

A．recovered

B．succeeded

C．retired

D．graduated

5.

A．curious

B．painful

C．regretful

D．fortunate

6.

A．hardworking

B．independent

C．honest

D．ambitious

7.

A．stand

B．float

C．pause

D．happen

8.

A．watches out

B．gives in

C．shows up

D．breaks down

9.

A．common

B．familiar

C．serious

D．strange

10.

A．community

B．station

C．theatre

D．hospital

11.

A．mask

B．confusion

C．request

D．smile

12.

A．deliberately

B．dearly

C．mysteriously

D．slightly

13.

A．unbelievably

B．occasionally

C．rarely

D．willingly

14.

A．customers

B．students

C．drivers

D．teachers

15.

A．suspend

B．suspect

C．summarize

D．simplify

8 . Cut into the trunk of a pine tree, and you will see a familiar series of concentric (同中心的) rings. But not all trunks tell the same story. A study published in November reveals that the world’s oldest trees had a very different structure.

Some 370 million years ago, cladoxylopsid trees stood at least eight meters tall, covered by branches instead of leaves. Today their rare remains reveal little about their insides; in most cases their inner structures had rotted before the trees fossilize, and storms had filled them with sand. But the recent find of two well-preserved fossils in China has exposed the trees’ inner workings — which are like no other species studied before.

The cladoxylopsid tree was empty inside. Around the edges were thick, vertical strands (缕) containing xylem (木质部), a plant tissue that conducts water and mineral salts from the roots to all other parts. Modern trees add new layers of multiple xylem as they grow, creating a woody trunk with a single set of concentric rings. But in cladoxylopsids, “each strand of xylem had its own growth rings,” says scientist Christopher M. Berry of Cardiff University in Wales.

Over a tree’s lifetime the strands would weave and cross. “It’s just incredibly complex,” Berry says. He likens these networks of flexible tissues and structures to the Eiffel Tower—if tower could grow, extend and split itself apart over time.

Although the cladoxylopsid tree has no living descendants today, it is very important. Brigitte Meyer-Berthaud, a scientist, explains that these trees were among “the major carbon reservoirs of the Paleozoic”, a time period from 542 million to 251 million years ago. Cladoxylopsids made up our planet’s first forests, capturing carbon from the atmosphere and playing a part in adjusting Earth’s climate. Given this fact, maybe we should study these trees for the forests.

1. What makes it hard to study cladoxylopsid trees?

A．Their thick leaves.	B．Their amazing height.
C．Their poorly preserved remains.	D．Their fossilized inner structures.

2. What do we know about cladoxylopsid trees?

A．They had many separate growth rings.

B．Their solid cores contributed to their growth.

C．They had a single set of regular concentric rings.

D．Their roots needed more mineral salts than water.

3. Why does the author mention “the Eiffel Tower” in paragraph 4?

A．To stress the beauty of the Eiffel Tower.

B．To prove the economic status of the tree.

C．To disclose how limited the tree’s lifetime is.

D．To show how complex the tree’s networks are.

4. Why should we study cladoxylopsid trees?

A．They were the only trees present during the Paleozoic era.

B．They helped scientists better protect rich historical culture.

C．They played a significant role in shaping the Earth as it is.

D．They determined the carbon content in the Earth’s atmosphere.

9 . Researchers from North Carolina State University argue that the addition of a fourth (white-colored) traffic signal would bring different traffic effects.

“Our work introduced the idea of a fourth traffic signal called a ‘white phase’, which taps into the computing power of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in order to expedite traffic at crossroads,” says Prof. Ali Hajbabaie, corresponding author of the paper. “Our research found that the more AVs there are on the road, the more efficiently the traffic moves. You’ll see less congestion (堵塞). To be clear, this improves travel time, fuel efficiency and safety for all of the cars.”

The white phase concept takes advantage of AVs’ ability to communicate wirelessly with each other and the computers in control of traffic signals. When enough AVs approach a crossroad, this would activate the new traffic light — the white light. While red lights mean stop, and green lights mean go, white lights will tell human drivers to simply follow the car in front of them. In other words, the white light serves as a signal. During the time, AVs are coordinating (协调) their movement to facilitate efficient traffic flow through the crossroad. When too many vehicles approaching the crossroad are driven by human drivers instead of AVs, the signal will return to the traditional green yellow red mode.

“If at some point in the future we see almost universal adoption of AVs, our models suggest that delays at crossroads would decrease by more than 25%,” Hajbabaie says.

Study authors acknowledge governments probably won’t adopt the new concept anytime soon. “Still, we’re now taking steps to ensure that future pilot projects will be both safe and effective. We’re currently setting up a physical testbed that will allow us to experiment with this concept in the physical world — not just in a computer model,” Hajbabaie concludes. “However, the vehicles we’re using in the testbed are small enough to hold in our hands. This will help us identify challenges without the expense — and safety risk — involved with using real vehicles.”

1. What does the underlined word “expedite” in paragraph 2mean?

A．Work out.

B．Speed up.

C．Put off.

D．Hold back.

2. What does paragraph 3 focus on?

A．How the white phrase works.	B．When the traditional signals return.
C．What the white phrase brings vehicles.	D．Why traffic efficiency is improved.

3. What does Hajbabaie expect of the white phrase?

A．It’ll become more mature.	B．It’ll reach consumers very soon.
C．It’ll reduce experimental costs.	D．It’ll be tested in a computer model.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Using White Phrase Indicates Advanced Traffic

B．Fourth Traffic Signal Is Invented to Guide AVs

C．Traffic Congestion Makes White Phase Happen

D．Adding 4th Traffic Signal Can Ease Congestion

10 . A surprising new research from Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand contradicts the commonly held view that surfers are folks only focused on their own fun. Instead, they often play an important role in saving lives. The research reveals that these thrill seekers selflessly save people they see struggling in the ocean as swimmers or after boating incidents, and so actually reduce deaths from drowning (溺水), playing a key role in making beaches safer.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 236,000 people drown worldwide each year, with drowning the third leading cause of unintentional death.

However, according to a survey, at the heart of the research, life-saving acts of heroism by surfers who save others in difficulty in the ocean waters around them, are surprisingly common. In fact, based on the sample of 418 surfers, respondents reportedly rescue an average of three people drowning or struggling in the water over the course of their lives, and some even report taking part in 10 to 20 rescues. This makes surfers the under-recognized guardians of the beach rather than the self-centered images shown in movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, or Point Break.

In addition, the survey found that in almost 90 percent of rescues, people aided by the responding surfers required no further treatment after the incident, making their help unlikely to be reported and so recorded, As one of the survey’s co-authors Jamie Mead says, “We need to get surfers the recognition they deserve and do more research to accurately quantify (用数量表述) how many rescues they’re actually doing.”

Since this research was published, there has been a growing interest in the training of surfers in life-saving skills. Sonia Keeper, an experienced surfer and instructor, explains that the insights provided by the survey have motivated surfing organizations to expand their reach and connect with an even broader community of surfers. “If life-saving skills are rolled out (正式推出) to the broader coastal surfer communities around the world, this preparation can help ensure that a good day at the beach doesn’t turn into a sad one,” she adds.

1. What is the typical impression of surfers according to the text?

A．They have an interest in saving lives.	B．They are self-centered pleasure seekers.
C．They are the spotlights of most beaches.	D．They seldom witness drowning incidents.

2. What does the survey find?

A．Surfers have saved many people from drowning.

B．Surfers are experienced in treating the drowned.

C．People at the beaches speak highly of surfers.

D．People are in need of more recognized guardians.

3. What is the function of the last paragraph?

A．To tell the necessity of surfing organizations.

B．To emphasize the popularity of a new type of sport.

C．To prove the benefits of taking surfing training.

D．To show the research’s societal significance.

4. Why does the author write the text?

A．To criticize people’s wrong view on surfers.

B．To promote much wider acceptance of surfing.

C．To recognize surfers’ crucial role in beach safety.

D．To appeal for helping each other at beaches